Band 5.5 IELTS Writing Task 1 Model Answer

Overall Band Score: 5.5 · Cambridge IELTS 12 · 2026-08-29

IELTS Writing Task 1 question

The maps below show the centre of a small town called Islip as it is now, and plans for its development.

Summarise the information by selecting and reporting the main features, and make comparisons where relevant.

Student answer (Band 5.5)

The maps illustrate the layout of the center of a small town of Islip and redevelopment plan in future.

Overall, the road runs from west to east through main road, that have shops in both sides. A park on the south-east location while a school at south-west and two housing. In future, dual carriageway will be build and main road replaced by pedestrians walk. There are some new addition such as bus station to west-north, a new housing at north east, other facilities take north front shops area.

At present, a road runs between west to east and both sides have several shops. There are two residential area to south front and in middle. It also has a school in south-west and a park in the west-south side.

The expected development includes dual carriageway that connect all location of Islip town. The pedestrians walk will replace main road. The bus station to west-north, shopping center, car parking and new housing have replacing shops in north. Moreover, park and school will stay on same location. A new resident adds behind park, other local area also remain same.

AI examiner evaluation

Task Achievement / Task Response — Band 5.5

The response covers the main features of the maps, including the current layout and the proposed changes. You successfully identified key developments such as the dual carriageway, the pedestrianization of the main road, and the addition of new facilities like the bus station and housing. However, the description is somewhat repetitive, as you describe the current layout twice—once in the introduction and again in the third paragraph. To improve, ensure that the overview highlights the most significant changes while the body paragraphs provide a more structured, non-repetitive comparison of the 'before' and 'after' states. The information is generally accurate, but the lack of clear, distinct organization between the two maps limits the score.

Coherence and Cohesion — Band 5.5

The essay is organized into paragraphs, which helps the reader follow the structure. However, the logical progression is hindered by the repetition of information between the second and third paragraphs. While you use some cohesive devices like 'Moreover' and 'In future', the flow is occasionally mechanical. The referencing is sometimes unclear, such as 'other facilities take north front shops area', which makes it difficult to visualize the specific location being described. Improving the use of linking phrases and ensuring that each paragraph serves a distinct purpose—one for the current state and one for the changes—would significantly enhance the coherence of your writing.

Lexical Resource — Band 5.5

You demonstrate an adequate range of vocabulary for the task, using terms like 'redevelopment plan', 'dual carriageway', and 'pedestrianization'. However, there are several instances of awkward word choice and collocation errors, such as 'west-north' instead of 'north-west', 'resident' instead of 'residential area', and 'take north front shops area'. These errors do not impede communication, but they do indicate a limited control over more precise descriptive language. To reach a higher band, focus on using more accurate directional language and collocations related to urban planning, such as 'situated in the north-west' or 'replaced by'.

Grammatical Range and Accuracy — Band 5.5

The response uses a mix of simple and complex sentence structures. While the meaning is generally clear, there are frequent grammatical errors, particularly with articles ('a road runs', 'the pedestrians walk'), verb forms ('will be build' instead of 'will be built'), and prepositions ('to west-north'). Additionally, there are issues with subject-verb agreement and pluralization, such as 'two housing' and 'a new resident adds'. These errors are noticeable but rarely prevent the reader from understanding your intended meaning. To improve, pay closer attention to basic sentence construction and ensure that verbs are correctly conjugated in the passive voice when describing future developments.

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